Benedict Cumberbatch in talks to join James Gray's The Lost City of Z

Seems like Cumberbatch is THE hot commodity these days with his name hopping around all manner of projects, from THE HOBBIT: THE DESOLATION OF SMAUG, THE FIFTH ESTATE, THE PENGUINS OF MADAGASCAR, and even a little rumor for STAR WARS: EPISODE VII. Now, the STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS actor is in negotiations to take on another high-profile project with THE LOST CITY OF Z, which is set to be directed by James Gray (WE OWN THE NIGHT).

The project is based on the book by David Grann, which chronicles the real life exploits of an explorer obsessed with the Amazon, leading him to "discover" a mythical city, called THE LOST CITY OF Z.

Here's the description:

Cumberbatch is in talks to play Percy Fawcett, who in 1925 headed into the depths of the Amazon jungles in Brazil. Fawcett was there to map the jungle and, hobbled by malaria, he discovered a mythical city he called The Lost City Of Z. Scorned by peers who claimed that this ancient kingdom was a fraud, Fawcett headed back into the jungle with his son and one other, braving the dangers of disease, insects, snakes, poison darts and other hazards to reinforce his discovery. None of them were ever seen again and it remains one of the great exploration mysteries of the 20th Century.

Brad Pitt's Plan B has been trying to get this one off the ground for a while now with Pitt eventually dropping out of the project as talent. However, he has remained on board as producer and with Cumberbatch in place as the lead, the project looks to have finally found footing to move forward. No word on when they'd start filming, but I'd anticipate a release sometime in late 2014. Stay tuned for updates.

Cumberbatch will next be seen in 12 YEARS A SLAVE on October 17, 2013 and THE FIFTH ESTATE on October 18, 2013. Back to back 'batch!